Lace loom



Dec. l26, `195@ l R. A. KENNEDY r-:TAL 2,535,579

LACE LOOM Filed 001;. 5, 1948 Patented Dec. 26, 1950 UNITE-D STATES PATENT OFFICE LACE LOOM Robert A. Kennedy and Carmie A. Kennedy, Birmingham, Mich.

Application October 5, 1948, Serial N0. 52,884

3 Claims.

l This invention relates to crocheting and Weaving devices capable of being held in the hand for supporting lace and the like, and particularly to a manual lace loom.

The main object of our invention is to provide a manually-held means for supporting lace work while operating upon the latter with a crocheting needle.

Another object is to provide manually-held adjustable means for supporting and periodically shifting and taking up hairpin lace and Maltese crochet as it is operated upon and thereby increased in length.

A further object is to have such means of the mentioned character which is provided with clamping facilities for holding finished hairpin lace out of the way and presenting a clear eld of operation for working upon the lace.

t is also an object to provide the mentioned means in the form of a loom which is of simple construction and consists of but three parts so arranged and associated as to be practically proof against getting out of order and to insure making hairpin lace of uniform width at all times.

A practical object is, of course, to make a manual lace loom of this character which is easy to make and use and so reasonable in cost as to encourage wide sales and distribution thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in further detail as the speciiication proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a lace loom made according to the invention and embodying the same in a practical form;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same lace loom looking from the bottom in Figure l;

Figure 3 illustrates the reverse side or bottom plan View of the loom of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the loom taken on line 4- in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse section taken on line 5 5 in Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a short length of hairpin lace made upon the loom of the preceding figures.

In the various views the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts.

Whencrocheting lace, and especially hairpin lace, it is highly desirable, though difficult, to make the lace unif orm i n width throughout and of any great length. It is obviously, also, de-

sirable to be able to support the lace being made on some means facilitating the production of such lace and holding the latter in well supported position to prevent 'slipping or shifting of the lace and thereby providing a firm foundation for the work being done in the field of operation.

Upon considering this problem, it has occurred to us that a longitudinally-adjustable loom should be available for making hairpin lace, and as a result we have succeeded in producing a manual lace loom for quickly making uniform hairpin lace of great length, as will now be more fully described.

Hence, in the practice of our invention, and referring again to the drawing, a loom, generally indicated at 1, primarily includes a forked frame consisting of a pair of long straight rods 9 and II] connected together at one end of each by an intermediate integral yoke portion I I, the length of the two rods 9 and IU being equal and being of any practical length desired according to the maximum length intended for the lace to be made lupon the device. Slidably mounted upon the two rods 9 and Il) forming the limbs of the fork-shaped frame I3 is a box-shaped binder I2 consisting of a substantially at plate I3 having two opposite longitudinal edges thereof bent up at right angles therefrom in substantial parallelism to form a pair of side walls I4 and l5, the side walls I4 and I5 ntting slidabl,1 upon the outside of rods 9 and Ill and serving to prevent the latter from becoming separated during use of the device. Between the side walls I4 and I5 of the binder I2 is mounted a spring latch I provided at the rear end thereof with a pair of outwardly-projecting pivot lugs I'l, I3 extending laterally through a pair of elongated slots I9 and 2li in the rear portions of side walls i4 and I5 of the binder, respectively. Intermediate the ends thereof, the spring latch I5 is bent inwardly to provide a depressed portion 2| adapted to engage frictionally against the upper or adjacent sides of the rods or limbs 9 and I5 of the fork frame, as will be further explained. At the forward end of the latch spring I6 is a downwardlydirected locking tongue 22 which is sufficiently narrow to extend down between rods 9 and Ill without contact therewith, but normally in closed position, being disposed close to the forward end 23 of plate I3 on binder I2. At the sides of the mentioned forward end of latch spring I6 are a pair of further lugs 24, 25 adapted to engage beneath a pair of overhanging, forwardly-directed retaining lugs 26, 21 upon the upper corners of the forward ends of side walls i4 and I5, the ends of said walls being recessed, as indicated at 28 in Figure 2, to receive the lugs 24 and 25 of latch spring I6 beneath the retaining lugs 26 and 21 when the latch spring is disposed in its rearward withdrawn position. Inasmuch as the two rear slots I9 and 2e are elongated and the pivot lugs il and l* at the rear end of the latch spring are normally withdrawn into the rear ends of these slots, it is self evident that if the fingers are applied to the latch spring and the latter slipped forwardly so that the retaining lugs 24 and 25 are shifted beyond the forward ends of lugs 2t and 2l on the side walls i4 and i5, the spring lugs 24 and 25 will be released therefrom and the spring will be released at the forward end in such manner as to be swingable to open position about the pivot lugs l? and i3. The latch spring le being a bent leaf spring with the intermediate depressed portion 2i bearing upon both rods or fork limbs Q and ii] of the forked hairpin frame 8, the resiliency of the spring itself will tend to snap the forward end of the spring free of the retaining lugs 2e and 2i when lugs 2d and 25 are released therefrom. The latter lugs extend surT-iciently far outside the side walls iii and l5 so that the fingers may be used to directly engage these side lugs in order to release the latch spring when this is to be done in order to pass a section of lace, such as partially shown in Figure 6, rearwardly through the binder when a sufficient length thereof has been crocheted to require such rearward movement for obtaining further clearance at the left end or open portion of the hairpin frame, indicated at 22.

The arrangement is such that the binder i2 is normally locked in position by friction upon the two limbs Si and i@ of the hairpin frame S so that the ends 29 and 3B of said rods or limbs extend two to three inches from the forward end of the binder, the lace being generally of the type known as hairpin lace or Maltese crochet, of which a small section is shown in Figure i3, the loops 3i, 32 being mounted on the ends 253 and 3d, respectively, of rods t and ifi and the loose end 3 Y worked by means of a crochet needle nrst on one rod and then the other and intermediately knotted by means of the needle in such fashion as to continuously increase the length or the lace. When this length has been moved tcward the forward end 22 of the binder iii and threatens te become so crowded toward 2S and of rods e and i8 that further won s dinicult, the binder is opened by releasing spring le the fingers, preferably appiied te lugs .52d Then the spring shif forwardly wh' e the binder i2 is held between fingers and the lace then pushed beneath the latch spring into the binder so that the iinished portion of the lace upon which the work being done is spaced some two inches from Lhe 2S and Sil and the latch spring then closed dor/n upon the lace and moved rearwardly to 're-engage lugs 2@- and 'Z5 beneath the foiwardlyextend. ig retaining lugs and 2? of the binder when the crocheting may proceed until a further shift of the lace is required. It is evident that when latch spring it is raised, the lace may be slid along the rods or limbs El and lil rearwardly even past the binder and crowded rearwa y toward the yoke or ccnnecting member i i tir' refore the work may continue until a considerable length of lace has been produced, and in fact, until the latter has been made up to the very ends 29 and 3c of limbs or arms 9 and l0. In fact, the entire lace may be slid off of the hairpin frame and then a few loops at the forward end of the lace where the work is being done may again be slid on the ends 29 and Sil independently of the binder and the work continued until the few loops have been augmented by an additional number just made and engaging in crowded fashion against the front end 22 of the binder, and the latter may be released just to shift the same rearwardly a short distance in order to make room for a further length of lace to be made. In any event, it is intended that normally the binder is to occupy a position substantially two and a half to three inches from the ends 29 and 3f; of the rods or limbs 9 and il), but not at any considerably greater distance in order to use the binder as a means for retaining the arms or rods e and ii? spaced accurately at a predetermined distance apart and prevent separation thereof in order to produce a lace of uniform width. The end tongue 22 upon the forward end of spring latch It is a sliding fit between rods 9 and iti and contributes to maintenance of the accurate spaced 'relation of these rods by preventing them from being drawn together by the lace during crocheting.

Obviously, the hairpin frame S may be made of any engtn desired, and in fact, the entire device may be made of any size suitable for the type of lace intended to be made. The spring latch E5 is preferably made of resilient metal, such as steel or the like, while the binder is also made of any suitable metal, and the same is true of the hairpin or forked frame 8, and the latter preferably made smooth so that the lace may y slide thereon when the same is shifted. Aanifestiy, variations may be resorted to and parts and features may be modified or used without others within the scope of the appended claims.

i-laving now fully described our invention, we

claim:

l. A .lace loom including a forked or hairpin having a pair of parallel rods forming the los or arms thereof and an intermediate yoke por ion integrally interconnecting the rods at one end of each, a binder adjustably mounted upon the rods, means upon the binder for preventing spreading of said rods, and a movable member adiustably mounted upon said binder and having a portion normally extending between said rods and preventing them from being drawn together during use.

A lace loom including a forked or hairpin L each, a binder adjustably mounted upon the rods, means upon ne binder for preventing spreading of said rods, a movable member adjustably mounted upon said binder and having a portion ally extending between said rods and pref ing the latter, a latch member positioned between said side Walls and having one end pivot-ally mounted on said side Walls, said latch member having a portion normally extending between said rods and preventing them from being drawn together during use, and coacting lugs on the other end of said latch member and the adiacent ends of said side Walls for securing said latch member to said side Walls.

ROBERT A. KENNEDY.

CARMIE A. KENNEDY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the e of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date 1,816,081 Fowler July 28, 1931 2,454,493 Upstll Nov. 23, 1948 

